“Mom, can I go to Ikebana Park with Hoshi please? I’ve never been there even once! Hoshi said it’s the best place to see the cherry blossoms in April!” Mai pleaded.
“Fine, but really, please pay attention to where you are going. You have no sense of direction at all! At this time of the year, it’s especially crowded with all the tourists. Just stick tight with Hoshi. I don’t want you to get lost again.”
“Ok! I am twelve years old already! Plus, I’ll be thirteen in a week! Don’t worry mom. See you in the evening,” Mai quickly put on her favorite yellow raincoat and opened the door.
“Wait! Your wallet! Don’t you also want to take some pictures?” cried Mai’s mom as she quickly ran to the door.
“Oh, yes! Thanks!” Mai quickly grabbed the wallet and the camera. With the speed of lightning, she dashed out the door and disappeared down the street.
“Ai, why is she always so forgetful?” Mai’s mom sighed heavily and walked back into the house.
*
Mai wanted to get out of the house, away, far away. Mai quickly walked down the small street and met up with Hoshi. The two best friends giggled and hugged. Together, they walked through the busy streets of Osaka, past the groups of eager tourists, past the flashing digital screens of modern technology, the “business bubble” of the city, and finally arrived at Ikebana Park. Mai remarked how quiet the park was. Indeed, cherry blossom trees were everywhere! Eagerly, the two friends walked toward the beautiful stone bridge on top of the lake. The steps up the bridge were made of thin slabs of gray stone. Mai hopped up the stones and motioned to Hoshi to follow her lead. Just when she’s about to reach the top, Mai’s untied shoelaces caught on the edge of the rock, and her whole body swayed… a firm hand reached around her waist and caught her just in time.
“Be careful! Watch your step, young girl!” Mai turned and came to face an old man. His countenance was peculiar, even beyond Mai’s usual standards. The old man’s hair, beard, and eyebrows were snowy white. The top of his head only measured to the bottom of Mai’s chin.
Just then, the old man winked at Mai, and said, “Hmm… let me guess, your mother is constantly worried about you and she thinks that you are clumsy and can’t take care of yourself. Is that why this is the first time of this year that you and your best friend are outside all by yourself?”
The straightforward questions caught Mai by surprise. Slowly, she nodded. The old man’s friendly yet perceptive smile seemed to reach out to Mai’s worries. “Can you help me to become more mature, more independent, and stronger? I want to prove myself to my family that I am no longer their baby girl. Rather, I am a young lady who can start taking care of herself.”
“Ah, yes, I can tell that something must be bothering you lately. Why don’t you and your friend come take a short walk with me through this beautiful park? Let’s just enjoy this beautiful season together, shall we?” the old man playfully replied.
Mai and Hoshi looked at each other, shrugged, and started walking next to the old man. Soon, they came across a grandmother shouting at his grandson.
“No! She mustn’t do that! He is just a child! I’m sure she’s just yelling at him for a silly mistake. Ah, adults can never understand us,” Mai eagerly voiced her opinion. Hoshi nodded enthusiastically.
“Let’s go take a closer look,” the old man replied slowly. The three walked toward the grandmother and saw her shouting, but from this distance, they all could see that she was also crying.
“No, Christopher, I can’t buy that toy for you. Neither can your mom or your dad. So stop behaving that way! I promise you I will buy it for you once we have the necessary means…” said the grandma to the little boy.
Mai looked at the scene before her, looked at the skinny little boy and his frail grandmother, and sighed, “If I were the little boy now, I think I would listen to my grandma. Oh, this is complicated! It’s not just about what we want, I guess…”
The old man gave the two girls a satisfying look and said, “Things do seem different from another angle and by taking a closer look at conflicts.” The three continued past rows of cherry blossoms until they reached a little girl who was crying next to a pond. Mai immediately stepped forward to the girl and offered her handkerchief to the girl.
“Why are you crying? Where are your parents?” Mai asked the girl.
“My parents? They don’t care about me! They are always fighting with each other over stupid things! Mom said that Dad is leaving ‘for good.’ I don’t know what that means… but they must hate me!” the girl continued crying. Mai was at loss for words, and she looked around at the old man, hoping he would say something. Few seconds passed, the old man calmly said to Mai, “Put yourself in her shoes; see her world and experience her feelings through you.”
A calming breeze gently teased Mai’s long black hair across her face. Mai said to the girl, “Listen, I know how you feel. My parents fought and argued a lot when I was your age. Sure, I felt that they fought because of me, that I was the reason why they hated each other. But you know what? In the end it worked out for the best. Even though my parents are separated, both of them feel very free and happy with their lives. Best of all, they love me, and will continue to love me as their little girl. I assure you that you are well loved and treasured. I know that I have to be strong and to become more independent so I can begin taking care of my parents when I’m older…” The girl listened to Mai intently. She didn’t even blink. The girl and Mai continued to chat, about their family, their parents, their friends, and their worries. Soon, giggles and laughs interjected their conversations. Mai was reluctant to say goodbye.
“I see that you have greatly enjoyed chatting with the little girl,” said the old man.
“Yes! She seemed so familiar…” replied Mai.
“Indeed. She reminds me of you. I believe you were having similar kinds of problems yourself. It seemed to me that now you are more able to understand and empathize. I have to say that you just grew five years!” exclaimed the old man, “Ah, I must go now…”
“Wait! There’s so much more that I need to learn!” Mai interrupted.
“Of course, you can never stop learning! But realizing that you have the curiosity to learn, realizing that you have much more to learn, and starting to learn about yourself are important steps in all of our lives. Remember, continue to look at conflicts and stories from different angles, and step back from the situation to help you gain an outsider’s view…look how straightforward the problems we encountered today seemed to you, an outsider to their problems. Remember, empathize and never to cease learning about yourself, reflecting about who we are will enable us to mature more, to grow more. Look, it’s starting to get dark. I must go now! I believe in you, Mai. Good luck!” the old man suddenly turned and vanished behind the bridge.
How interesting and strange, very strange, Mai thought to herself.
“Let’s go home, Hoshi. We don’t want our parents to worry too much,” Mai said with a smile. Mai looked up and saw the branches of the cherry blossoms waving in the wind, waving at her. As the two friends walked, a soothing calm and newfound confidence started to blossom in Mai.
Ikebana Park
“Mom, can I go to Ikebana Park with Hoshi please? I’ve never been there even once! Hoshi said it’s the best place to see the cherry blossoms in April!” Mai pleaded.
“Fine, but really, please pay attention to where you are going. You have no sense of direction at all! At this time of the year, it’s especially crowded with all the tourists. Just stick tight with Hoshi. I don’t want you to get lost again.”
“Ok! I am twelve years old already! Plus, I’ll be thirteen in a week! Don’t worry mom. See you in the evening,” Mai quickly put on her favorite yellow raincoat and opened the door.
“Wait! Your wallet! Don’t you also want to take some pictures?” cried Mai’s mom as she quickly ran to the door.
“Oh, yes! Thanks!” Mai quickly grabbed the wallet and the camera. With the speed of lightning, she dashed out the door and disappeared down the street.
“Ai, why is she always so forgetful?” Mai’s mom sighed heavily and walked back into the house.
*
Mai wanted to get out of the house, away, far away. Mai quickly walked down the small street and met up with Hoshi. The two best friends giggled and hugged. Together, they walked through the busy streets of Osaka, past the groups of eager tourists, past the flashing digital screens of modern technology, the “business bubble” of the city, and finally arrived at Ikebana Park. Mai remarked how quiet the park was. Indeed, cherry blossom trees were everywhere! Eagerly, the two friends walked toward the beautiful stone bridge on top of the lake. The steps up the bridge were made of thin slabs of gray stone. Mai hopped up the stones and motioned to Hoshi to follow her lead. Just when she’s about to reach the top, Mai’s untied shoelaces caught on the edge of the rock, and her whole body swayed… a firm hand reached around her waist and caught her just in time.
“Be careful! Watch your step, young girl!” Mai turned and came to face an old man. His countenance was peculiar, even beyond Mai’s usual standards. The old man’s hair, beard, and eyebrows were snowy white. The top of his head only measured to the bottom of Mai’s chin.
Just then, the old man winked at Mai, and said, “Hmm… let me guess, your mother is constantly worried about you and she thinks that you are clumsy and can’t take care of yourself. Is that why this is the first time of this year that you and your best friend are outside all by yourself?”
The straightforward questions caught Mai by surprise. Slowly, she nodded. The old man’s friendly yet perceptive smile seemed to reach out to Mai’s worries. “Can you help me to become more mature, more independent, and stronger? I want to prove myself to my family that I am no longer their baby girl. Rather, I am a young lady who can start taking care of herself.”
“Ah, yes, I can tell that something must be bothering you lately. Why don’t you and your friend come take a short walk with me through this beautiful park? Let’s just enjoy this beautiful season together, shall we?” the old man playfully replied.
Mai and Hoshi looked at each other, shrugged, and started walking next to the old man. Soon, they came across a grandmother shouting at his grandson.
“No! She mustn’t do that! He is just a child! I’m sure she’s just yelling at him for a silly mistake. Ah, adults can never understand us,” Mai eagerly voiced her opinion. Hoshi nodded enthusiastically.
“Let’s go take a closer look,” the old man replied slowly. The three walked toward the grandmother and saw her shouting, but from this distance, they all could see that she was also crying.
“No, Christopher, I can’t buy that toy for you. Neither can your mom or your dad. So stop behaving that way! I promise you I will buy it for you once we have the necessary means…” said the grandma to the little boy.
Mai looked at the scene before her, looked at the skinny little boy and his frail grandmother, and sighed, “If I were the little boy now, I think I would listen to my grandma. Oh, this is complicated! It’s not just about what we want, I guess…”
The old man gave the two girls a satisfying look and said, “Things do seem different from another angle and by taking a closer look at conflicts.” The three continued past rows of cherry blossoms until they reached a little girl who was crying next to a pond. Mai immediately stepped forward to the girl and offered her handkerchief to the girl.
“Why are you crying? Where are your parents?” Mai asked the girl.
“My parents? They don’t care about me! They are always fighting with each other over stupid things! Mom said that Dad is leaving ‘for good.’ I don’t know what that means… but they must hate me!” the girl continued crying. Mai was at loss for words, and she looked around at the old man, hoping he would say something. Few seconds passed, the old man calmly said to Mai, “Put yourself in her shoes; see her world and experience her feelings through you.”
A calming breeze gently teased Mai’s long black hair across her face. Mai said to the girl, “Listen, I know how you feel. My parents fought and argued a lot when I was your age. Sure, I felt that they fought because of me, that I was the reason why they hated each other. But you know what? In the end it worked out for the best. Even though my parents are separated, both of them feel very free and happy with their lives. Best of all, they love me, and will continue to love me as their little girl. I assure you that you are well loved and treasured. I know that I have to be strong and to become more independent so I can begin taking care of my parents when I’m older…” The girl listened to Mai intently. She didn’t even blink. The girl and Mai continued to chat, about their family, their parents, their friends, and their worries. Soon, giggles and laughs interjected their conversations. Mai was reluctant to say goodbye.
“I see that you have greatly enjoyed chatting with the little girl,” said the old man.
“Yes! She seemed so familiar…” replied Mai.
“Indeed. She reminds me of you. I believe you were having similar kinds of problems yourself. It seemed to me that now you are more able to understand and empathize. I have to say that you just grew five years!” exclaimed the old man, “Ah, I must go now…”
“Wait! There’s so much more that I need to learn!” Mai interrupted.
“Of course, you can never stop learning! But realizing that you have the curiosity to learn, realizing that you have much more to learn, and starting to learn about yourself are important steps in all of our lives. Remember, continue to look at conflicts and stories from different angles, and step back from the situation to help you gain an outsider’s view…look how straightforward the problems we encountered today seemed to you, an outsider to their problems. Remember, empathize and never to cease learning about yourself, reflecting about who we are will enable us to mature more, to grow more. Look, it’s starting to get dark. I must go now! I believe in you, Mai. Good luck!” the old man suddenly turned and vanished behind the bridge.
How interesting and strange, very strange, Mai thought to herself.
“Let’s go home, Hoshi. We don’t want our parents to worry too much,” Mai said with a smile. Mai looked up and saw the branches of the cherry blossoms waving in the wind, waving at her. As the two friends walked, a soothing calm and newfound confidence started to blossom in Mai.